NCJ Number
247231
Date Published
January 2012
Length
85 pages
Annotation
This report intends to assist policymakers and the public in examining recent trends in criminal activity in New Hampshire.
Abstract
The report notes the limited availability of meaningful data on crime and criminals in New Hampshire. The lack of a systematic analysis of such data impedes both executive branch efforts to address crime and legislative efforts to establish sound public policy. The report first ranks New Hampshire's crime rate compared to other States and the District of Columbia. New Hampshire has consistently had the lowest or one of the lowest overall crime rates in the United States. The State's property crime rates are low compared to other States. A comparison of the three northern New England States (Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont) shows that crime rates increased in all three States from 1960 and then declined at approximately the same rate after 1980, suggesting similarities in the underlying causes of crime. Very few criminal offenses committed in New Hampshire result in an arrest, however. Of the reported criminal offenses in 2010, less than one-third of violent crimes and less than 15 percent of property crimes resulted in an arrest. The New Hampshire Superior Court system processes about 14,000 criminal charges each year. Drug-related charges alone account for one-sixth of the Superior Court's annual criminal caseload. The prison system houses about 2,500 inmates, at an average annual cost of $35,000 per inmate. Nearly as many inmates are housed in the 10 county jails at about the same cost per inmate. In the year 2010, the State, county, and municipal governments spent approximately $1.2 billion per year on programs related to public safety and justice, compared to $643 million spent in 2001. Extensive tables